HAWKS PLUS. BLACKHAWKS NOTES.

Amonte rumors pick up steam

Islanders have interest in winger

December 18, 2001|By Neil Milbert, Tribune staff reporter.

DETROIT — If you're planning to send Tony Amonte a Christmas card, the New York newspapers are recommending you wait until Thursday. They're speculating his address may change before the National Hockey League's eight-day Christmas holiday trade ban takes effect midnight Wednesday.

The New York Islanders are supposedly the team trying the hardest to land the Blackhawks' captain, who'll become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

They reportedly are offering the Hawks goaltender Rick DiPietro, the No. 1 choice overall in the 2000 draft who's now playing for their Bridgeport farm team in the American Hockey League, Brad Isbister, a right wing with eight goals and seven assists, and Raffi Torres, a left wing who has played six games this season and has yet to score a point.

In the unlikely event the deal becomes reality, the Hawks' high-powered offense would certainly suffer. Amonte has scored more than 30 goals for six straight seasons and has gone over the 40 mark three times during that span. His output has declined the first half of this season (12 goals and 18 assists), making him the team's third-highest scorer.

Islanders GM general manager Mike Milbury is said to be attaching a string to any deal involving Amonte, making it essential that he be willing to sign a long-term contract.

However, Hawks GM Mike Smith hasn't given Amonte's agent, Mike Gillis, permission to talk to other teams. Amonte's current contract pays him $3.4 million. Sources say Gillis believes Amonte can make in the neighborhood of $8 million if he is offered to the highest bidder as an unrestricted free agent.

"I haven't heard anything," Amonte said when asked if his agent was talking to any other teams.

Smith also gave the impression that nothing is going to happen in the next two days. "I don't think so," he said.

The New York Post reported Colorado and San Jose also are after Amonte, whose string of 364 consecutive games is the longest in the NHL. The Avalanche is said to be offering left wing Alex Tanguay (five goals and 14 assists) in its proposed package, and San Jose reportedly wants to make center Patrick Marleau (three goals and seven assists) the centerpiece of its proposed deal.